Bridge between Granite City, Missouri and Chouteau, IL on Interstate 270.
We travelled almost 200 miles today and had four major stops. Tonight I'm just going to introduce you to these places and try to write more about them over the week-end.
Our fist stop in Collinsville, Illinois was at the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site. Why have I never heard of this place and this culture? For me, Cahokia Mounds is the highlight of our Great River Road trip - so far.
Cahokia was the largest prehistoric Indian community in America north of Mexico. It covered an area of six square-miles, including at least 120 mounds of different size and function. Initial occupation during Late Woodland times (AD 700-800) included small settlements along Cahokia Creek. These expanded and merged during early Mississippian times (AD 800-1000) and the population and community increased, reaching a peak between AD 1050-1150 with an estimated population of 10 - 20,000. A period of change and population decline began in the 1200s and by AD 1350-1400, Cahokia had been abandoned.
Indians of the Mississippian culture built this community and many other large and small ones throughout the Mississippi floodplain and the adjacent uplands. Cahokia was the center of a large complex chiefdom that had ceremonial and trade connections to other Mississippian sites throughout the Midwest and Southeast.
The decline of Cahokia may be attributed to a combination of many factors, including depletion of resources in the region; internal social and political unrest; external friction and conflicts with other groups; climatic changes affecting crops and local flora and fauna; soil exhaustion due to intensive agriculture; and, loss of control and influence over contemporary sites and groups.
Central Cahokia about AD 1150-1200.
Families lived in pole-and-thatch houses around the 120 mounds of this ancient city. Ceremonial buildings and the homes of the elite stood on top of the many platform mounds.
Often called temple mounds, platform mounds served as elevated bases for the largest and most important buildings. Temples, homes of leaders, tribal council lodges, and charnel house probably were constructed on platform mounds. At least thirty-five platform mounds were built throughout the Cahokia site. Because the platform mounds formed well-drained "hills", the important buildings constructed on them were protected from the damp of the bottomlands and probably lasted longer.
Square or rectangular at the base, platform mounds are entirely man-made earthen structures. They rise above the ground like flat-topped, or truncated, pyramids. Smaller platform mounds rise just a few feet, while others may be as much as 40 or more feet hight. The great Monks Mound has four terraces and rises to more than 100 feet above ground level.
The great Monk Mound in the background with thatched-roofed houses in the foreground.
Ariel view of the Monk Mound - road with car in the foreground.
While it is possible to follow trails to the major mounds and landmarks at the Cahokia site, we were only able to climb the Monk Mound.
Pausing on the first terrace. The base of the Mound covers an area of over 14 acres and it is 100 feet at the highest point. It contains 22 million cubic feet of earth. Construction of the mound began around AD 950 and it was enlarged several times until AD 1250.
At the top of the Mound, to the west, is St. Louis and The Arch.
More about Cahokia Mounds later, because our next stop was the one, and only, Illinois geo-site! For the past couple of days we have been hearing from Mr. Spock how excited he was getting to be able to see the Valmeyer Anticline. This one small anticline offers clues to the development of the 350-million-year-old Illinois Basin.
This is the first of three stops that we made to show Spock the crest and both sides of the anticline. This exposure of limestone, inclined at 15 to 33 degrees forms the southwest flank of the anticline.
On top of this exposure we noticed a graveyard called the Dennis Hollow Cemetary.
Geo-sites are so interesting and we'll need more time to present this one in more detail. Please stay tuned.
Stop #3 was at Fort de Chartres, built by the French government between 1753 to 1763, and now partially reconstructed. The stone fort replaced earlier wooden forts of the same name. From 1720 to 1763, these forts served France as the military, economic and governmental center of the Illinois Country, which was part of the Louisiana colony. Most of France's possessions in North America, including Fort de Chartres, passed to Great Britain in 1763 with the Treaty of Paris, which brought an end to the French and Indian War. British troops occupied the fort on October 10, 1765, renaming it Fort Cavendish.
Frederick, for scale, standing in the reconstructed entrance to Fort de Chartres.
Meet Darrell Duensing, Site Manager for the Fort. When we first met him in the museum building he was wearing just the pants and shirt of his uniform. When I asked if I could takes picture he volunteered to don the rest of his authentic uniform of a French soldier in 1758 - the date of the fort presentation.
After leaving this fort we traveled about 30 miles down the road to Fort Kaskaskia and the Pierre Menard Home. Unfortunately, or fortunately because of the time, the Pierre Menard Home was closed for the season and Fort Kaskaskia exists only in its mound foundations.
Drive down the hill to the Mississippi River. Leaves still on the trees.
The Pierre Menard Home is the finest example of French colonial architecture in the central Mississippi Valley.
We had to climb a steep bluff behind the Menard Home to reach the site of Fort Kaskaskia. What a beautiful tree in the late afternoon sun among the mound foundations of the fort.
They are not certain of Fort Kaskaskia's appearance. This artist's conception showing the fort under construction is based upon archeology and descriptions written in 1766.
Another view of the mounds with some stately trees among the foundations.
It was almost sunset when we left Fort Kaskaskia and we still had another 50 miles to travel to our campsite back in Missouri.
Our consolation was a beautiful sunset.
Crossing the Mississippi River from Chester to Perryville on highway #51.
Turning pink and peach.
Along Missouri highway #51.
It eventually got dark and we had another first - the first time we have towed in the dark. The Airstream was beautiful with all the running lights lit.
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